Farming and fishing

How to become a sharemilker

Official title: Sharemilker

Also called: Contract milker, Variable order sharemilker, Lower order sharemilker, Herd owning sharemilker, 50:50 sharemilker, Relief milker

Sharemilkers milk their own cows on a dairy farm owned by someone else, or milk a farm owner’s herd. They receive a share of profits in return.

Main tasks

Own and manage cows
Milk cows for farm owners
Manage cow reproduction and rear calves
Negotiate profit-sharing contracts with owners
Provide labour and equipment for milking
Buy and sell livestock for farms
Follow health and safety procedures
Keep financial and operational records

How to become one

You need experience to become a sharemilker and a qualification may be useful. You usually need NCEA Level 2 to do the study or training for this job. Required: experience in similar work. Other requirements: a New Zealand Certificate in Agriculture (Level 3); to do an apprenticeship in animal husbandry; a New Zealand Certificate in Agriculture (Level 4); a New Zealand Certificate in Dairy Processing (Level 3); a New Zealand Certificate in Dairy Processing (Level 4 or 5); a New Zealand Diploma in Dairy Processing (Level 6); a Diploma in Farm Management or similar; a Bachelor of Agribusiness; to be registered with Federated Farmers of New Zealand.

See the full Tahatū profile

Ways in

Certificates and diplomas: Advanced certificates and diplomas in farm management and agribusiness. TEC links this job to study in business and management. Qualifications: NZ Dip in Primary Industry Business Management, Dip in Farm Management, Dip in Horticultural Business. Usually 1 year. Graduates of these qualifications earn a median $64,000 a year one year after study and $76,000 five years after; 81% are employed one year after (TEC, from Stats NZ IDI data).; Entry certificates in agricultural, environmental and soil science. TEC links this job to study in agriculture. Qualifications: NZ Cert in Primary Industry Skills. Usually 4 months. Graduates of these qualifications earn a median $47,000 a year one year after study and $57,000 five years after; 51% are employed one year after (TEC, from Stats NZ IDI data).; Entry certificates in seafood processing. TEC links this job to study in process and resources engineering. Qualifications: NZ Cert in Seafood Processing. Usually 5 months. Graduates of these qualifications earn a median $54,000 a year one year after study and $55,000 five years after; 75% are employed one year after (TEC, from Stats NZ IDI data).

Pay · Past change · AI and this job

Most common pay: $52,000 to $124,000 a year (median $81,000), a TEC estimate before tax.
Upper: $184,000 a year
TEC's pay figures are estimates only. TEC says they must not be used to set pay, in pay negotiations or in visa applications.
Change in the number of people doing this job between the 2018 and 2023 Censuses: Decrease (TEC). This is past change, not a forecast.
People employed in the group Livestock Farmers: 45,462 at the 2018 Census and 39,582 at the 2023 Census (-12.9%). Past change, not a forecast.
Generative AI can do relatively little of this work, by the ILO's global estimate.

Who does this work

About 2,300 people did this job at the 2023 Census (TEC).
In the group Livestock Farmers, 28% of workers are female (sex at birth, 2023 Census).
Where people in the group Livestock Farmers work (2023 Census): Waikato 24.4%, Canterbury 15.8%, and Southland 9.2%.

Questions people ask

How do I become a sharemilker?

How much does a sharemilker earn in New Zealand?

The Tertiary Education Commission estimates median pay at $81,000 a year, before tax. Most common pay is $52,000 to $124,000 a year.

Has the number of people working as a sharemilker grown in New Zealand?

It has shrunk: TEC records a decrease in the number of people doing this job between the 2018 and 2023 Censuses. This is past change, not a forecast.

Will AI change the work of a sharemilker?

Generative AI can do relatively little of this work, by the ILO's global estimate.

Sources

Tertiary Education Commission (Tahatu Career Navigator): Tahatu career ideas: descriptions, tasks, pay estimates, people employed, employment change 2018 to 2023, entry requirements, registration, interest scores (Site scrape 2026-10 (816 career ideas, sitemap lastmod 2026-10-01)), CC BY 4.0, retrieved 4 October 2026
Stats NZ (via Figure.NZ): Census totals by topic for individuals 2013, 2018, 2023 (CEN23_TBT_004): employed by occupation, ANZSCO V1.3, summed to unit group (2023 Census (CEN23_TBT_004)), CC BY 4.0 (Stats NZ), CC BY 3.0 NZ (Figure.NZ), retrieved 4 October 2026
Stats NZ (via Figure.NZ): Census 2023: employed by regional council, occupation (ANZSCO V1.3 unit group) and sex at birth (2023 Census), CC BY 4.0 (Stats NZ), CC BY 3.0 NZ (Figure.NZ), retrieved 4 October 2026
International Labour Organization, Generative AI and Jobs: A Refined Global Index of Occupational Exposure (ILO Working Paper 140, Gmyrek et al.) (ILO Working Paper 140, May 2025, Annex Table A1), CC BY 4.0, retrieved 4 October 2026

This content is sourced from the Tertiary Education Commission through the Tahatū Career Navigator website (www.tahatu.govt.nz) and used under the CC BY 4.0 licence. All or some of the information has been modified by Peernovo. TEC has not approved, endorsed or tested these modifications. TEC will not be held accountable for any errors within this content.

Qualification information from NZQA, used under CC BY 3.0 NZ.

This work is based on/includes Stats NZ's data which are licensed by Stats NZ for reuse under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International licence. Census data via Figure.NZ.

Includes information from O*NET OnLine by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications.

Sources: Tertiary Education Commission, Tahatū Career Navigator (career ideas, pay estimates, entry requirements and study options, CC BY 4.0, modified by Peernovo); Stats NZ, 2023 Census (via Figure.NZ) and the National Occupation List (CC BY 4.0); NZQA qualification information (CC BY 3.0 NZ); O*NET interest scores (CC BY 4.0); ILO global generative AI exposure index (CC BY 4.0). Links between career ideas and ANZSCO groups, degree fields and broad job groups are Peernovo's.

These results are not official statistics. They have been created for research purposes from the Integrated Data Infrastructure (IDI), which is carefully managed by Stats NZ.

Graduate outcomes: these results are not official statistics. They have been created for research purposes from the Integrated Data Infrastructure (IDI), which is carefully managed by Stats NZ.

Updated 4 October 2026